Though he's generally thought of as a legendary lightweight, Carlos Ortiz was initially the junior welterweight champion of the world, and I thought he looked great at the weight. Who wins between he and Benitez at 140?
I don't know if I buy the experience thing going against Benitez in every matchup. Teenager or not, he still outclassed a prime Cervantes. Him being a phenom made up for his lack of experience. I see no reason why young Benitez couldn't duplicate what Laguna did. I like Will by close decision.
I don't buy it in most match ups, I think it's the lack of physical strength, a solid base and lesser muscle density at such a young age is what harm's him more there. But in this specific match up, I do think it's the lack of experience. You'd need every trick in the book to beat Ortiz, and at that age, Wil didn't have it. And tbh, I think Cervantes was both a combination of a good style for Benitez, and not as good as Ortiz. It's great win, make no mistake, but I don't think it's a sure fire reason to pick him here. Ortiz would force the fight much more violently on the inside, and I don't think Benitez has the strength of know-how to keep a guy like Ortiz off at such a young age. I don't think Benitez would do what Laguna did because at 140, Ortiz wasn't a drunk yet, and having an off-night is really the only reason why he lost to Laguna. That and Laguna being a damn great fighter in his own right, he couldn't get away with coming in in poor shape vs Laguna (like he couldn't vs Benitez) but I doubt he would here. If anything, it's Benitez who should be questioned whether he'd come in, in good shape.
